Robyn Edie / Stuff
Former New Zealand’s first MP, Ria Bond, has joined six others and has so far confirmed they will run for mayor of Invercargill in the October local elections [2019 file photo].
Ria Bond’s bid for the mayoralty of Invercargill ended before it started in 2019, but she is unlikely to make the same mistake again.
Bond, a former New Zealand first MP, has announced that she will run for mayor in the city’s local elections in October. She will also run for a council seat.
She is the seventh person so far to confirm they will stand for the top position, alongside incumbent Sir Tim Shadbolt, Deputy Mayor Nobby Clark, City Councilors Ian Pottinger, Rebecca Amundsen and Darren Ludlow and Bluff Community Board member Noel Peterson.
The closing date to officially register as a candidate is 12 August at 12:00 noon.
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In 2019, Bond was devastated after she tried to register for mayor 15 minutes before closing, but couldn’t because the correct address of one of her nominators was not in the voting system.
Bond said in a statement Friday that she was running for mayor “not because I need a retirement plan, but simply because I believe that everything we do as leaders should always be about the people we represent”.
It was “time to move the city forward”, saying she had multiple skills and abilities with decisive leadership to fight for the city.
Elected members had a huge influence on how things went in the city, which projects were prioritized and where investments went, she said.
“The mayor is responsible for policies, budgets, promoting our community, representing his people and demonstrating strong, trustworthy leadership. Councilors are responsible for understanding and implementing good governance principles in decision making, not getting involved in operational matters, maintaining respect.”
Bond said that as a former New Zealand First List MP based in Invercargill, she actively advocated for members of the Invercargill public during her role, while having a “strong business and managerial background”.
Bond spent two years as a list MP in Invercargill before being ousted from parliament after the 2017 general election, when her party won just nine seats and she was ranked 12th on the party list.